Taiwan welcomes President of Nauru

Nauru President Baron Divavesi Waqa and his wife Louisa Waqa arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen, the second visit since May last year when he attended Tsai’s inauguration ceremony.

The Nauruan President was welcomed with a ceremonial red carpet and a 21-gun salute at Taipei’s National Concert Hall main plaza, before delivering a speech.  

In her speech, Tsai said Taiwan and Nauru have maintained cordial relations with numerous cooperation projects, spanning agriculture, medical services, public health, and the development of clean energy.

Taiwan News reports President Waqa is among the leaders of Taiwan’s allies to show outspoken support for the nation’s participation in the international community. He had in a number of occasions spoken in support of Taiwan and called the nation a close friend of Nauru.

This is his 13th visit to Taiwan and the second during Tsai’s administration.

President Waqa said in his speech that it has been 34 years since the diplomatic relations were established between the two countries, while Taiwan’s development experience and the diligent spirit of its people are what every developing nation hopes to learn from.

He said Nauru has and will continue to support Taiwan’s international bids and work alongside other Taiwan’s diplomatic allies to make sure the nation’s continuous international participation.

He also invited President Tsai to attend Nauru’s 50th anniversary of Independence on Jan 31, 2018.